Bacon grease might just might be the best thing about bacon. Today I am sharing with you twenty-one of my favorite uses for bacon grease!
Last week I shared how to cook bacon in the oven. It is my favorite way to cook bacon and I was so glad to hear that many of you love cooking it that way too.
In my post on cooking bacon I shared my love of bacon grease. Several of you said that you don’t save your bacon grease and you were wondering what I use it for. Since bacon grease is one of the best parts of bacon, I knew I had to share more about bacon grease and why I love it.
Bacon grease is one of those things that past generations used and loved, but I think it has lost popularity in our time.
Many of us grew up with moms and grandmothers who had a jar or bowl of bacon grease that they used for all kinds of things. I think many today have just gotten out of the habit of doing the same thing.
Because I love bacon grease and it has so many uses, I am now on a mission to share why you should love it too. I decided to put together twenty-one of my favorite uses for bacon grease.
As far as storage goes I just store my bacon grease in a jar in the fridge. If I get a jar that is full I just freeze it.
Did you know that you can freeze bacon grease? Now it is not often that I have enough to freeze. We use it in so many other things it doesn’t build up for long, but when it does I freeze it for those times when I might run out of bacon grease. Plus you can never have too much bacon grease!
Since we raise hogs I cook our own bacon which is a high quality bacon. I don’t have a lot of particles of meat in my bacon grease. It is usually a beautiful off white color that is smooth and wonderful.
If you are worried though about the chunks of meat that might be in the bacon grease they make great bacon grease containers
that strain those bits and pieces out or you can use something like cheesecloth to strain out the particles.
Now for my favorite uses for bacon grease. It really does have so many uses. Just keep in mind that bacon grease tastes like bacon. It works as the place of fat or grease in many things, but if you use a lot of it, it will add the taste of bacon to the dish. For most things this is great. For other things it is not. For everything I share below bacon grease truly makes it better!
- Added to green beans or other vegetables while cooking them
- Fried Potatoes
- Fried Corn
- Greasing the pan for cornbread
- Hash browns
- Fried Eggs
- Scrambled Eggs
- Frying onions and peppers for fajitas
- For the grease in cooking fried rice
- Cooking popcorn on the stove top
- Using for the fat or some of the fat in homemade gravy
- A little bit in a pot or crock pot full of beans
- A little bit in a pot of homemade refried beans
- On Roasted Vegetables
- Oven Fried Potatoes- Just toss potatoes in a little bacon grease like you would oil, season, and bake.
- Cooking Spinach and other greens
- Salad dressings like the dressing I use on my cheeseburger salad
- Fried Cabbage
- Pan Frying Meat
- Seasoning Cast Iron
- Spread a little on corn on the cob, wrapped in foil, and grill it.
One of the other questions I get asked often is how long does bacon grease lasts. I have no clue what the correct answer is for that. I will say that I have had it in my fridge for a good month and have not had any problems with it. But again I don’t know what is the correct answer to that.
I am guessing that there is an official rule or something on how long you should keep it, but I don’t know what it is. I actually searched for it and the answers really varied. I do know that I don’t recommend leaving it out on the counter. I keep it in the fridge. And I am pretty sure bacon grease is like any other fat and it will be quite obvious when it goes rancid because it will smell rancid.
I love to cook with bacon grease! I’ve had jars of it in the refrigerator for months at a time and have never had any go bad. Makes me think it might keep indefinitely.
Thanks for all the great ideas. Some are things I do already, but a few are new to me. Can’t wait to try them!
Me too! I love using bacon grease. It makes the best fried chicken and chicken fried steak! Also, I make “stewed tomatoes/breaded tomatoes” and use some bacon grease to season the tomatoes.
I’ve read you can also make soap with it, but I haven’t tried that yet. 🙂
I should have had chicken on the list because you are right. Chicken and other meat is delicious fried in bacon grease!
If my bacon fat has been in the fridge for any length of time, I usually clarify it. I put it in a pot with @1/4 cup of water and bring it up to heat. Strain it and let it set. If any impurities are left, they will be on the underside of the fat, where you can scrape it off. The bacon fat can last almost indefinitely doing this
It’s true! I recently found some clarified bacon fat from 2018 in the back of my fridge, and somehow, it was still good FOUR YEARS LATER. Needless to say, I was stoked!!
I have never thought of freezing it…. Any tips on this? I keep mine in a coffee cup in the fridge, when that one is full I do another one. I will start using canning jars, they can take the heat. My favorite way to cook elk or deer steak is with bacon grease, the flavor is so much better than plain oil. Also pan fried potatoes…yum yum.
I just freeze the jar with a lid on it. I don’t fill the jar quite to the top. I find it works best to freeze them in pint or smaller jars. Jelly jars work well because they are a little smaller. My mom always kept hers in a coffee can too. I like the jar because it makes freezing a little easier and you can heat it up to get that last little bit of grease out. I have cooked other meat in bacon grease but have not tried it with deer. I will have to try that. And yes on the fried potatoes. Potatoes are one of my favorite things to use bacon grease for!
I store jars of bacon grease until I have the equivalent of one gallon. Then I heat to low, strain, then pressure can for 45 minutes in pint jars. Grocery stores are selling pint jars of bacon grease for $7.00 a jar. I have 12 pints stored now and at commercial prices, that is $84!
Also, when I was stationed in Germany in the early 80’s, I was served, in a fancy restaurant, slices of thick sliced, toasted brown bread with a small, warm pot, you guessed it, bacon grease, to spread on the bread. When I asked my German friend I was dining with about it, she told me it was a German custom. it was delicious! Probably not something you want to eat on a regular basis, though.
I have never heard about bread and bacon grease. I bet that is good! And yes I saw a jar of bacon grease at the store recently and couldn’t believe the price.
Do you have to store it in refrigerator? Is it still safe to leave it in the cabinet or on the shelf at room temperature?
It is best to refrigerate it.
My mom would use it to flavor a tomatoe bread bake and tomatoes with macaroni mmmm so tasty.
My Mother used to eat “butter grease” sandwiches. French for bacon grease on bread with pepper.
Rancid? Never kept it long enough for that..lol I’m from the south, so grease is good…lol My dilemma is that I’m not a big fan of bacon. Not that I won’t eat it, just that I’m more of a sausage girl. So my problem is fixing enough bacon to have enough bacon grease for everything I want to use it in.
How can you not like bacon. 😉 And I am with you on the going rancid. I have never had any last long enough to find out.
I could just hug you for this post! We have been buying pork and pork sausage from a local farmer who pasture raises her hogs and I have been crying over throwing out the leftover grease. I just ordered a grease holder through your link and can’t wait to start saving and using that high quality grease!
I am so glad you found it helpful. Once you start using it I am sure you will find even more uses for it. Bacon grease is the best. 🙂 It is even better when it comes from good pork. Local farm raised pork is so good. It is hard to eat the store bought meat after you have had local farm raised meat.
Just came across this post because I couldn’t bare the thought of tossing out that good baked bacon grease.
Then I remembered how much I loved stove top popcorn made with bacon grease rather than oil growing up!
Going to try the oven roasted potatoes in bacon grease suggestion.
Potatoes in bacon grease are the best! I hope you enjoy them.
I freeze my bacon grease in ziplock bags. I wait for it to cool enough, and then pour it into a bag and put in the freezer. I add to the same bag as I have more bacon drippings. It is frozen. so It is very easy for me to just break off a piece when needed.
That is a great idea! I know people freeze it in ice cube trays, but I think your way would be easier to get the right amount. Thanks for sharing that!
I keep my bacon grease in a tin can on my counter. been doing this for years.Never had it go rancid.
Bacon grease is my essential oil.
I have never frozen it, but someone had mentioned freezing it in ice cube trays. Think I”ll be doing that next, as I just purchased some in a bulk package.
Bacon on, my friends.
I cooked some bacon in the oven last night and my husband asked what we could do with the grease. I said “I’ll look on Pinterest.” And since my name is Lynn, your post caught my eye. Question…how much grease would you add to a pot of beans? Thank you so much for sharing the many ways to use bacon grease. I am going to jar mine up, now!!
I love hearing from other Lynns!! Bacon grease is great, so I am glad that you enjoyed my post. Really any amount of bacon grease will add flavor, so you can use just a little. I usually use a couple of tablespoons per pound of beans. Here is a recipe for pinto beans that I love to use bacon in. I hope that helps! https://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/slow-cooked-pinto-beans/
replace bacon grease on bread for grilled cheese sandwiches
i meant replace butter for bacon grease 😁
I knew that is what you meant. 🙂
That is a great idea! Bacon grease would be delicious on grilled cheese!
When I cook bacon. I cook the whole pound. Any not eaten is placed in aziplock bag, refrigerated. And used later. Warmed in the microwave. Crumbled for sessoning in salads, etc. And of course save the grease!
I do that too! I also freeze cooked bacon too so that I can use it later. Bacon and bacon grease make so many things better.